Pages

January 23, 2015

A very 1950s spin on shepherd's pie

For most of us, there are certain dishes - the mere mention of which - instantly brings a flood of happy childhood meal times memories rushing to the surface. I would argue that, further still, a good many of these are tied to certain months of the year, especially if you grew up with a family that cooked in keeping with the seasons.

Hands down one of the most iconic and classic wintertime meals from youth was my mom's awesome shepherd's pie (technically, cottage pie as it was made with ground beef, whereas shepherd’s pie, by its original definition, involved ground lamb - but we, like most folks in North America and even the UK, where both versions originated, called it shepherd's pie all the same). To this day, my stomach stirs and my taste buds perk up at the mere idea of it.

With the season of ice and snow (and even more snow!) out in full force here still, I got to thinking about shepherd's pie - that comfort food of ground meat, chopped veggies, tomato sauce, and mashed potatoes (or, as my mom sometimes did, a mixture of white rice and cheddar cheese instead of spuds) that millions of people have enjoyed sitting down to a steaming hot plate of for over two hundred years now.

My recent ponderings - and craving for - shepherd's pie led me to discover today's 1950s recipe forCrown o 'Gold Meatloaf, which is really neat twist on this hearty winter staple food. Instead of spuds (mashed or one of my favourite ways, topped with shredded hash browns), rice, dumplings, mashed cauliflower, or the like for the lid, it uses fluffy egg whites to create something that is akin in a way to the top layer of a lemon meringue pie.

{Mustard, horseradish (omit if desired, a little garlic could easily take its place), green onions, ground beef, and eggs combine in this meat loaf meets shepherd's pie inspired fifties dish that as easy to make as it is wonderfully filling. Image source.}

This twist is definitely fun and has very, very mid-century feeling to me. Of course, if you prefer (or, like me, aren't able to eat eggs for whatever reason), you can always used mashed spuds here and get a dish that for all intents is strikingly similar classic cottage or shepherd's pie. You can also easily ditch the yolks in the body of the meat loaf/meat pie here, too. If doing so, I'd just use a little bit of gray, tomato sauce, white sauce, cheese sauce or shredded cheese as a binding agent.

Feel free to vary the meat. Ground chicken, turkey, veal, pork, or a vegetarian/vegan meat substitute all work wonders in dishes like this. Though the only veggies called for here are green onions, feel free to add in any and all others that call your name. Carrots, parsnips, peas, green beans, sundried tomatoes, corn, and even squash would all be awesome choices to use in this stick-to-your ribs cold weather staple.

I've been making a spin of my mom's classic shepherd's pie recipe for decades now, but sometimes I like to shake things up and try other versions, too - especially when they're of vintage nature like this great 1950s recipe, which I'd be apt to serve with a green salad, light vinaigrette, hot butter (GF, in my case - ditto for the bread crumbs in today's recipe) rolls, and homemade apple sauce for a hearty dinner that is sure to combat even the biggest cold weather induced appetites, no problem!

Are you a fan of shepherd's/cottage pie, too? Does this mile high egg white topped version appeal to you or would you rather stick with the mashed potato version?

sounds delicious! in winter i love "in the oven" dishes. it helps heating the house ;-)because we have to be vegetarian i must substitute the meat with veggies and soya/saitan.... thanks for the inspiration!!!!!xxxxxx

Just about any kind of bake-it-and-forget-about-it (until it's ready to eat, that is!) dish is a big hit with me in the colder months, too. Definitely! You don't need meat here at all. I've made shepherds pie with chunks of root veggies and corn in place of the meat before and added in some shredded cheese for extra protein. It's very tasty this way as well.

A shepherd's pie meringue!! I swear that they were just a lot more inventive with food in the 50s than we are now... whether or not that's always a good thing remains to be tasted ;) shepherd's pie is one of the ultimate comfort meals... so filling and so tasty. Good thing it's dinnertime right now in the UK as I'm officially hungry just thinking about it! CC x

Very, very true! Sure, there are plenty of people doing amazing and creative things with food still today, but I often feel like that totally off-the-wall, try and anything and not give a fig what someone might thing element of cooking is gone. Instead it's all about having magazine worthy dessert hybrids and the latest super food or fad diet. Someone thought outside the box here and even if this dish isn't to everybody's liking, at least it wins big points on the creativity front.

Yum!!! I adore it sweet spuds, too. In fact a few years ago, before the pulled pork craze had even started, I came up for a recipe that was a pulled pork-shepherd's pie hybrid and topped with maple glazed sweet potatoes. AMAZING!!! :)

You're wish is my command! I will put together a recipe post featuring it later in the year (my recipe is strikingly similar to this one: http://www.theendlessmeal.com/pulled-pork-shepherds-pie/ only I top it with sweet spuds and glaze them with maple syrup towards the end of their cooking time). Thank you very much for asking, dear gal.

Oh good lawdy this looks yummy! I have eaten spanish versions of this before using plantains but I love any version. My hubby not so much. I think bc of his Italian background he is accustomed to eating things separately and Caribbean Latinos are used to having everything mixed up on the plate so to me its divine LOL Can I have some now?? xox

Ooooh, goodness, do I hear loud and clear there. Tony grew up in Italy and is so strict with only eating one food at a time. Even at Christmas dinner, with 7 to 10 different foods on his plate, he will only eat one at a time. This was so foreign to me when we first started going out and though I stand by "to each their own" when it comes to one's dining habits, of course, I could personally never imagine not eating multiple foods that were on my plate at the same time in bites of each one here and there (instead of polishing off all of one and then moving on to the next). I've not encountered many other spouses of Italian people who raised this point, so it really jumped out at me when you did.

Yum!!! Further to our lovely conversation yesterday, if we lived nearby, I would whip up a GF, EF version for all of us to enjoy this weekend.

I have a theory that Shepherd's pie is (or at least used to be) more common in Canada (than in the US), especially Western Canada, Ontario and the Maritimes), because of the massive English and Scottish populations that settled those areas. Just a guess, but based on some food related chats with US friends over the years, the evidence is pointing in this direction.

It's seriously scrumptious, dear Lorena - and is really the perfect stick-to-your-ribs cold weather food. Though I must say, I enjoy eating leftovers from the fridge, too, so it can work for the warmer months, too. If you give it a spin, I hope that you adore it!

That looks delicious! Meat pie is a big staple in our house; I use homemade pie crust on top and bottom, then fill it with ground beef, seasoning, and mashed potatoes. This looks like a fun recipe to try!

i just discovered a new to me vegetarian meat that would work perfectly in this dish ... when i'm back on the track and healthy again i might give it a try. i'm still so sick/recovering has just started that i eat like a baby bird ....

Hi sweet Kate, it is indeed true! Way to know your culinary trivia! :) As I mentioned in this post, when a shepherd's pie is made with beef, it is indeed (technically) called a cottage pie. Even the UK where both originated though, shepherd's pie has largely become a blanket term for both varieties.

Have a fantastic week (very much including with your darling new pup),♥ Jessica

I think I am more to the traditional version with mashed potatoes on top, but your mum's version with white rice sounds good too. We are trying to loose weight (sigh!), so I've added it to my collection for later use. Have a nice day, dear. :)

I fully understand, my dear friend. Winter can be brutal on the waistline. You don't do much outside usually, the cold ups your appetite, and you're inside noshing on heavy comfort food - only those who exercise a ton and/or have enviable metabolisms seem to escape unscathed. If you ditch the topping or use less and make this with ground chicken or turkey, it becomes a lot leaner (and less carby if there's no spuds or rice on top), so it can still be a good food for when you're watching your calories and/or carbs.

That said, the rice and cheese version is awesome! It will actually always be shepherd's pie first and foremost in my mind because it was a frequently served food in my home when I was growing up.

I can't quite decide whether I like the sound of this egg topping or not. I guess the only way to be certain would be to try it. Shepherds pie is actually one of my least favourite childhood dishes as I really do not like mashed potato. I like mashed other veg - sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, butternut squash, swede just not your ordinary potato. No idea why!

You know, objectively, putting my egg allergy totally aside and thinking back when I could eat them (many years ago now, but still), I'm not sure if the idea of an egg "crust" really floats my boat or not. I think it's novel and would have given it a try (you never know!), but my gut is telling me that I would have preferred a veggie or rice topping instead still.

Sweet potato is soooo good on shepherd's pie. Especially if you swap out leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey for the beef and moisten it all with some gravy from the big meal, too. :)

Holy mouth-watering-food, Batman! Coincidentally I have had shepherd's pie on my mind for the last month or so, even though it's summer over here. This version sounds amazing. I love the 'friendly warning' about the mustard, hysterical! Lucky I have French's in my refrigerator right now!

Hi sweet gal, your comment made me smile ear-to-ear. I come across recipes that elicit the same kind of happy/excited response from me sometimes as well. :) It's such a fun feeling when you see or hear about a dish and just know that you're bound to become fast friends with it.

Perhaps you could make one (a shepherd's pie) in the evening and then it cold for breaky the next morning. I'll do that sometimes when the craving for a cold weather comfort strikes and won't vanish during the summer months.

Hi sweet Lorena, if you're making it for the first time, I would be inclined to go with either a traditional mashed potato topping or the popular 70s version (that my mom loves to make and I adore doing the same, too) of white rice and shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar). If you like it that way, then perhaps branch out and try it the egg version here.

Big hugs & many thanks for all your great blog comments this week,♥ Jessica

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

All images used on this site are credited to their original posters/creators/sources,
however if at any time you would prefer not to see one of your images here, please email me and I'll take it down right away.

PS...I just wanted to say thank you very much for visiting and to tell you that you're equal parts awesome and beautiful.